We have added two new cards to the site for sending all your New Year greetings.

The first card, titled "Count Down", really captures the joyful and celebratory mood of New Year celebrations with vibrant fireworks.

Count Down

The second card, "Jazzy New Year", was inspired by the roaring 20s and includes a musical score that will have you tapping your feet. It is a classy art nouveau inspired card to end the year with a bang and a bash, perfect for invitations for your very own bash or a stylish way to send your New Year greetings.

Jazzy New Year

With just a few days left of 2010, remember you can already schedule your New Year cards now to be sent when you want your recipients to receive it.

This year I wanted to create a Christmas card that would be really entertaining for people of all ages, while staying true to our mission to create something artistic and tasteful. We started planning this card many months ago and it includes some of our most challenging animation to date - three hip-hop dancing rats with lots of personality as well as an elegant fairy all strutting their stuff to a nice up-tempo version of "Sugar Plum Fairy". The characters in the card are as proud as we are of the final results - to see what I mean watch the card. I hope you will find it truly entertaining to watch.

Christmas Vibe

We also released a second version of the card "Midnight Mass" with a different choice of music - the second version is titled "O Holy Night" and includes the Christmas carol by the same name.

O Holy Night

The holiday season is a time to give thanks, and we are very thankful for all your support, constructive feedback and comments. We still have two more cards on the way before the New Year, but my personal resolution for the coming year is to keep challenging myself to stay creative, keep learning and give your more great cards to send.

The inspiration for our newest card for Christmas was a painting I did of a winter landscape at night. The reflective light of the snow creates an almost ethereal landscape as people gather for Midnight Mass. The card includes a wonderful rendition of "Amazing Grace".

Midnight Mass

Here is an alternative version of the card "Midnight Mass" with the Christmas carol "O Holy Night" instead.

O Holy Night

In addition to these 2 cards and the card "Paper Star" which was released last week, we have three more cards on the way for the Christmas and New Year holidays that will be released shortly. So there is still more to look forward to.

To show my appreciation for your support I created my own designs for making paper ornaments, which I have included in this new card along with instructions. I have also included instructions for making a traditional folded paper star and a woven heart and I want to share a little bit about the tradition of making these ornaments with you.

Paper Stars

My Scandinavian forbears developed traditions that helped them cope with the cold and dark winter days. One of my favorite has always been gathering with friends and family in the weeks before Christmas to make handmade paper ornaments while sipping on warm gloegg and eating aebleskiver by candlelight, tucked under a blanket and wearing big fluffy slippers. This is what we call "hygge". It is a concept that is difficult to translat but is very important in my culture:

"the word describes a particular state of mind, an atmosphere, the creation of a little mental and physical space where the turmoil and troubles of the outside world is shut out and a warm, intimate, convivial mood is created. The desire for hygge is a hugely motivating force in Danish culture and has a lot to do with the long dark winters. From the beginning of October all the way until the end of March darkness rules the country and the sunshine is a sad, pale thing. When it’s cold and gloomy outside for this long, moods tends to follow suit and to stave off an annual dip into depression, the Danes have developed the art of creating hygge into a fine art, and almost a national obsession."

To read more go to this website which is the source of this nice explanation.

The card is of course perfect for friends and family members who love crafts, but I have found that almost everyone seems to enjoy getting together with other people and folding a few paper stars or hearts while decorating the Christmas tree. The competitive in my family even went as far as trying to make the stars smaller and smaller using tweezers to see who could make the smallest star. Many of the ornaments were traditionally made to function as little baskets that were filled with nuts, dried fruits, chocolates and candies in a time when presents had not yet made their appearance under the tree because most people could not afford such luxuries. These homemade ornaments have come to symbolize the deeper meaning of Christmas to me, one that is centered around a shared experience, simple joys and a little hygge.

Frederikke Tu

My vision is to create art work that makes a real difference in people's lives, by helping them reach out to those that are important to them. The pictures I paint and animate as ecards tell stories common to everyone’s lives: friendship, love, keeping in touch, saving mementos, giving gifts, laughter & happiness, special moments, anniversaries and milestones